Subject? Like I Need a Subject!

I have no time! But check it out: This week I heard the song ¨Polvo en el Viento¨ while walking in the streets. Yes, Kansas´ ¨Dust in the Wind¨ but in Spanish. Hna Hill and I appreciated that. I ate butter sandwiches the other day. I thought it was cheese. My veins were so sad when they ound out. We trapped the biggest spider of my laugh the other other day - comically big! I didn´t even fear it, it was so big (more like a cartoon).
I dreamed I was in space with some missionaries and there was a musical theatre and aliens that wanted to eat some meat, but I chose mozzarelly pizza (meat and pizza are so Argentine). When I get home, I expect to hear ¨Terra´s Theme¨ from Gone With the Wind. You can mix any random food, put it on top of a crust with a hard boiled egg and make it a ¨traditional¨ Argentine dish. The man who washes our clothes has demanded that we return after the mission and kiss him on the cheek like every other civil person would do. Our rules make us weird, but they protect us. :)
I absolutely love Argentina!

We taught José and Cynthia the message of the Restoration of the Gospel. José felt a fire within him, but had never experienced something like that before, so he was very confused. He actually went to wet his head with cold water. He said he knew that what we were teaching him, about the Book of Mormon especially, was true. He didn´t really understand everything we said (in part for our accents, I´m sure), but he knew that it had to be true. We all looked at him - his wife, mother-in-law, taddling daughters, Hna. Hill and I--surprised and humbled by how strongly he felt the Spirit. And this all within a meeting of about 10 minutes. We are very excited to go back and teach him more about the guidance the Holy Ghost can give him as he makes and keeps sacred committments with his Father in Heaven.
The Church is true. I have read the Book of Mormon, pondered in its message and the way we came to have it in our day, and I know it is true. Joseph Smith truly was a Prophet. There is no doubt in my mind. I look forward to the day when I can personally thank him for his faithful fulfillment of his mission. I hope to serve my mission with as much faith in Christ and His words. It is Christ word´s to which I owe all of my happiness. (Alma 44:5)

This Saturday and Sunday, we get to hear from living prophets! Enjoy!

I love you all oh so much!

Hermana Lindquist

p.s. family, many Argentine families think you are beautiful. VERY beautiful

Hiya Family!

A short list of some top sights this week: A dead man, a three-legged dog chasing a car, fried meat smeared with mayonaise (actually very common), and an African lion. And yet the best moment was when someone saw a picture of Joseph Smith´s first vision and asked sincerely, ¨Could this be true?¨ Yay for the diversity of the mission!
Pity time doesn´t permit for the many stories and lessons learned in a day, much less a week. Let´s just have a big dinner when I get back and we can talk about everything! For now, the African lion story. In short, we were walking down the road, turned the corner and out of nowhere, flashing lights and a circus tent! A real, ol´ fashioned Dumbo/Big Fish-stlye circus tent with carny trailers and inhumanely caged animals and all! It was one of the biggest, most exciting surprises. We basically screamed with glee (glea?) as we came closer and examined the gaudy signs proclaiming the arrival of the ¨Circo Magico Houdini¨. It was so perfectly movie-like! And then, yes, there was a giant African lion pacing back in forth in a tiny barred cage. I was newly grateful for the quality of life for the animals at the San Diego Zoo.

We had a week of ups and downs and all arounds. We´ve established some new goals for our area, and Hermana Hill and I are so excited to work together and bring help, healing, and happiness to our brothers and sisters in Monte Grande. I´ve decided to start over as if I´m brand new on the mission, but with the advantage of some months of experience (given, I still feel like I know very veeeery little). I reread my call letter and am beginning Preach My Gospel anew. It´s SO good. Read the introduction and think of about planning family home evenings like District Meetings. Good stuff.
I know obedience and humility make us worthy of the blessings of Heaven, and I know that faithful prayer and work are the way to call down that celestial help. I am convinced of the reality of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I need to study both much more. I wonder if we´ll ever, in all eternity, understand the impact of His immortal sacrifice. I just hope I can live in sincere gratitude to Him forever. I love Jesus Christ and Our Heavenly Father. And I love His children! Sadness and disappointment are dreadful distractions to the supernal peace and joy that God has in store for all those who love Him and desire goodness and righteousness. Look for good. Nourish and cherish it. And ¨keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side; keep on the sunny side of life!¨
Spring is here in Monte Grande, and life is good and beautiful. Fine and dandy!

Thank you for your prayers and support. I love you all so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I´ll never be able to say it enough.

Smiles and rainbows!

Hermana Lindquist

Rockin' and a rollin'

The first time we met Fulana (yes, I changed the name), it was late a night and she was clamoring to gather some plastic bags and enter into her cement-walled home. We greeted her, she responded demonstrating a bit of frustration with the day she´d gone through. She then sighed, shook her head, and said, ¨Just a minute, chicas¨. She wrestled with a tangled mass of keys, found the one to her home, and opened the door for us. Well, she opened the door first to harness her seven frenzied dogs and store them in a room a bit further from the front.
Once we entered, she slammed the cigarettes on the table, shrugged her shoulders and began to tell us of her whirlwind life of problems: renters that don´t pay, family that have died and left nothing for her, health that limits her dreams and ambitions, and - most distressing of all - a heart full of ¨ravia,¨ hate, sorrow, anger, and everything she avioded in her youth.
I don´t remember what we said to her that first time. We taught her to pray. I remember that. We prayed together. She prayed. We pleaded with her to understand that she is a precious daughter of God. She doubted. Can´t says I blame her; she didn´t know any better.
The subsequent visits were filled with expressions and love and tenderness, and we emphasized much the love of our Heavenly Father and the sweet peace the Gospel brings. We read to her Christ´s words to the Nephite nation in the Americas shortly after His resurrection: ¨Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning¨ (3 Nephi 11).She felt impressed by the Spirit - although she didn´t fully realize it at the time - that Christ really drank from the ¨bitter cup¨. The venom of oppressed years that she felt she had been drinking became, in her eyes, a cup the Lord had shared. The truth is He did.
We visited other days with sisters from the local ward (congregation). It was amazing to hear these sisters´ testimonies of the changes they´ve seen in their lives as they came to understand the cleansing, supporting power of Christ´s Atonement.
In a few short visits, Fulana´s countenance began to change drastically. She began wiping down the table before we´d visit. Then, she started having crackers ready for us. One day, she didn´t complain at all about anything. Another day she was saying good things about many things. Her jokes became more positive. Her smile became more radiant. She began to rearrange her tiny room - a goal she´d had for months. She had at one time given up on her talents; now, she was making little paper maché flowers to sell in the street. They are beautiful.
Now, when we see her, she is cheerful. She is happy.
The difference? She began to pray every night. She prayed with faith. She also took real interest in the scriptures. The Book of Mormon contains so much hope. Yesterday, she came to church for the first time. She found there the family she had missed so terribly. I am so humbled and happy to see the changes she´s made. I loved her from the start, but now I´m so happy because she loves herself, and she knows not that God loves her too. What a tremendous difference that knowledge makes.

Smile at everyone. Love them with all ya got, and teach them principles of love and faith. That way they can love themselves and see the value they have. I know that the Lord always sees our value. Always! He wants so badly for us to see and understand it as well. I know that the principles of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by modern day prophets, teachers, and revelators in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, really make all the difference in a person´s life. By applying these things, with faith in Jesus Christ, we can progress toward eternal life - life as God knows it. Life with our families and friends, in perfect harmony and joy for the rest of all time and beyond. Sounds pretty sweet to me!

I love you all oh so much and look forward to a bright future tomorrow, the next day, a year from now, and ¨to infinity and beyond!¨ (I always knew Buzz Lightyear was inspired.) :)

Muchísimas gracias por todo. Les amo un MONTÓN!!

Hermana Linksquidsky

Just enough time to tell ya I´m alive

And there ya have it! I live! But yeah, I have about thirty seconds. Sorry! And this week was soooo good! We had a baptism, a birthday party for a woman who´s been alone for years, a tango-singing competitcion in the chapel, many an inspiring lesson, and a total renovation in Hermana Hill and my´s weekly planning methods. We´re are bound and determined to help the most people possible and in the best ways!

Happy Aniversario de la muerte de San Martín!! He´s a big deal. Ask half of South America about it.

I love you all mucho! Thank you for everything!

Hermana Lindquist

p.s. Brandon, my buddy Ida says to say hi to you. She´s from Trujillo, and you served there, so you´re practically already best friends. There ya have it!
Mom, I learned this week that you´re amazing. I´ll write later. If not, remind me to tell you about the lunch with the Pederson family. It´s code.... :)
Dad, could you please send me your chocolate cake recipe. I´ll try my hand at it....
p,p,s the song Total Eclipse of the Heart has been chasing me. Today, we literally ran away from it. The music video was playing in the restaraunt we were in. Talk about temptation to watch t.v.! But, like good ol´ Joseph of Egypt (who I´ve been studying and am completely in love with), we ran!

I´m doing it the lazy (or, at best ¨hasty¨) way again. Here´s a copy of my email to President Stapley:

Dobree Dyen! (that´s Russian for ¨Good morning¨)

We had ourselves a merry little week...We made this plan to help more investigators to attend church: have the members drop off daily invitations. Basically, we prepared ¨invitation count-downs¨ and asked members who live near investigators to go by every day in the week and leave one of the invitations. For example, Hno. Garcia left an invitation on Fulano´s door that said something like ¨four days til church!¨ (with a little scripture attached). The next day, he left Fulano ANOTHER note that said ¨three days left!¨ And thus a note was left everyday to remind Fulano throughout the week to prepare for church. Many members very happily accepted the challenge and some did it for last week, while others are doing it this week. We´re hoping that this will help the investigators have church on their mind throughout the week. THEN the member goes by to accompany the investigator on Sunday. Yay! We´re still in the middle of the experiment, so we´ll let you know how it goes.
This week, our focus is getting those lessons with members! We´ve seen too many miracles from involving members to NOT do it. Many of our investigators have been so well integrated with the members of the ward. It´s a beautiful thing, and we´re looking forward to seeing more of it.

Happy times in Monte Grande. We know there´s much in store for the people here, and we´re hopeful and optimistic for this week.
¨Por tanto, muy queridos hermanos, hagamos con buen ánimo cuanta cosa esté a nuestro alcance; y entonces podremos permanecer tranquilos, con la más completa seguridad, para ver la salvación de Dios y que se revele su brazo¨ (DyC 123:17). Joseph Smith was quite the motivator, and I believe what he said! We are determined to do all within our reach, and I know that the Lord will reveal His arm. I LOVE this work!

Thank you so much, President, for your guidance and advice. Monte Grande (and we the missionaries of course) sends you much love and smiles gallore. :)

Hermana Lindquist

Yep yep yep. Thaz wha´ I dun tells hem.
MOM! Do you have a corn bread recipe? Preferably one from generations past...We´re teaching this man who is a chef. He actually has a specialty in American foods, but he wants to make sure he uses REAL recipes, and not imitations. Cinnamon roll and oatmeal cookies are also happily received. :)

The Church is so true. We´re teaching a young family who has searched so long for a place with pure religion and the truths of both the Old and New Testaments. They began searching ever more diligently for the fulness of the Gospel with the birth of their son a few months ago. More than anything, this baby´s father wants his son brought up ¨in truth and righteousness¨. However, as individuals and as a family, they´d passed through much deception and disappointment. When we began teaching them, they clung dearly to the doctrine of the eternal family. They know the Bible so well because of years of study led by the Spirit. So well, that when they learned of Joseph Smith and the Restoration, it rang true because of the Lord´s long established pattern of revealing divine truths through living Prophets. I, like these investigators, have become newly aware of Heavenly Father´s ever true love and guidance. He always, always, always blesses those who worship Him according to the light and knowledge they possess. And the more light and knowledge a person can attain to in this life, the greater he or she can be blessed. PLEASE share the Gospel with everyone. Please let your friends know that the words of the Lord´s servants are available to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people (Mosiah 3:13). And remember that they´re available through us who know! Why would the Lord go through so much trouble to publish the Bible and the Book of Mormon and call a modern Prophet if He didn´t want everyone to know. Why would He tell me about it if He didn´t want me to share it with others. As one sister in Relief Society pointed our the other day, we shouldn´t be like that saber-toothed-squirrel in the movie Ice Age when it comes to our testimony, hoarding it away and frantically trying to keep others from it. The advantage my testimony and yours has over nuts is that when we share it, we get more. Okay, maybe there are some other advantages too... :)

Rambling my way through another email just to get to the most important part: I love you all so much! Thank you ever so much for your love, support, and determination to be good people. I know so many good people! What a blessing! You all are just fancy splendid!

Smiles and sunshine,

Hermana Lindquist

p.s. remixed version of ¨You Were Always on My Mind¨. Way better than the original.

INGRID!! One more thing: Please tell Richard he´s the best. There´s a member here who reminds me so much of him: always joking and fun-loving, but also sensitive and caring and very loving especially in his family. And a superb dad-e-o! And you can QUOTE me! I realize more and more what a great example you and your family are. So pretty!

Finally, More Pictures

This is Mary's companion showing off the american desserts(cupcakes) that someone baked especially for them!

Happy Day!

People often ask me how I can smile so much. I learned - and am continually learning that like Capitán Zarahemna of the Book of Mormon, I am so grateful for ¨the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness¨ (Alma 44:5). If it weren´t for the promises of the Lord and the profound doctrine of the Plan of Salvation, I would be a withered frowning glob, instead of a ball of sunshine. And frankly, I very much prefer sunshine balls. Almost as good as popcorn balls! It´s a close call...
Lesson learned: Satan takes good intentions and turns them into destructive contentions. I met a man who was firmly anti-religion. He insisted that people need help, not organizations of religion. He tries everyday to do good things for people and live a Christ-like life. That is good. At the same time, he tries to do it all alone. That is NOT God´s plan. A billion good-hearted, well-meaning people can not save the world if they act strictly on an individual level. Sociality, united effort, and organization based on principles of Christ´s doctrine are essential to doing work that has any sort of long-lasting efficacy. I think in our days, we can´t settle for great accomplishments in technology, medicine, or science. Those are fantastic, but somehow as a people we need more accomplishment in organizing the human resources that we have. In Gospel-speak: we need to be united and apply the God-given gifts of the Spirit each person has and build Zion. Our work is that of salvation and eternal life. I love Heavenly Father´s children; I love my brothers and sisters so much! I know that God is a loving Parent and He´s given us a house in the world and a home in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I hope that all makes sense. It´s the first attempt I´ve made at putting it in words. And now I´ve got myself all worked up. Whew! I need an alfajor.

I LOVE being a missionary. I love learning the Lord´s will and striving to do it. I know that eternal rewards await us as we treasure and take advantage of every passing moment.

THank you all SO MUCH! I wish I could hug you all with the biggest hugs in the world!! All in god time. :)

Smiles and rainbows!

Hermana Lindquist

p.s. Random note from the mission offices: Don´t send packages via UPS or FedEx or anything other than the good ol´ US Postal Service